After the debacle that the Facebook thread on Wayne Gretzky has become, featurng a call to boycott the winery that bears the Great One's name, few people who might be considered wine experts are willing to weigh in on the topic publicly.
That includes Andrew Peller Ltd., which is also receiving criticism and suggestions by members of the public the winery be rebranded, removing any relationship it might have with the hockey player who went from hero to villain in a short time, and is now being vilified by the public.
The news cycle has moved on and is more concerned about tariffs, the Canadian economy, and jobs, says Blair Cowan, administrator of the popular Facebook site NOTL 4 All, following what was likely the most controversial discussion he’s had to moderate to date.
Wayne Gretzky became the hot topic of social media over what was perceived as a slight to Canadians, for saluting American players as he took to the ice as the honourary captain of the Canadian team at the recent Four Nations Face-Off. He was also chastized for not wearing a Team Canada jersey.
As Niagara-on-the-Lake is the home of Wayne Gretzky Estates, which opened in 2017 through a partnership between Andrew Peller LTD and Gretzky, local anger at Gretzky’s actions has been turned toward the wine company.
Locals may remember the celebratory news of the ground-turning, and then the grand opening, both of which brought number 99 to town. But many locals may not be so welcoming to the Brantford native today, and have voiced their options that the winery should strip the hockey legend's name from it's identity.
After watching what took place on the ice the day of the Four Nations game, the depth of anger over Gretzky’s actions seem overblown, Cowan told The Local.
“I’ve had to take down several posts,” he said, and has also “kicked out” one of the most frequent commenters as a result of his posts on the Gretzky thread.
“Several people were calling him a traitor, and I was deleting those. I don’t want anybody to call anyone anything, and especial not traitor.”
Cowan has been disparaged on social media, both for his comments, and for deleting posts he felt went too far, as his job of moderator requires him to do.
This was one thread that drew people from across Canada, Cowan said, not just locals. “I’m not sure how they saw it. It must have come up in their feed, and you don’t need to be a member to see it.”
In addition to about 200 Facebook comments, he had many messages from people who wanted to carry on a discussion with him, he said, about why he made the decisions he did in his role as moderator.
Cowan said that after watching the video of the much-discussed incident, he realized Gretzky’s entrance onto the ice, as determined by organizers of the event, took him to the U.S. side, where the carpet on the ice was laid, meaning that he had to walk by the U.S. bench.
“He was told what to do and he followed instructions to the letter. He’s always been a gentleman. It would have seemed rude for him to walk by the U.S. team and not acknowledged them in some way.”
As for Gretzky not donning a Team Canada sweater, Cowan said, he was dressed appropriately in a suit. “I saw footage of him in the dressing room, talking to the players, and he looked like a hockey coach. Hockey coaches wear suits.”
However, to Cowan, the issue is that while people have a right to their opinions about Gretzky, and their anger that he lives in the U.S. and is a friend of U.S. president Donald Trump, protesting or boycotting the winery is not going to hurt Gretzky — at least not much.
Andrew Peller Ltd. is keeping quiet, and has not responded to a request for an interview from The Local or other news organizations.
And wine experts who might know something of the relationship between Peller and Gretzky are also not talking to the media, at least not for attribution.
Although it can’t be confirmed by Peller, it seems that while the company owns the winery, Gretzky receives a percentage of each bottle sold with his name on it. However much that amounts to, said Cowan, isn’t going to hurt the former hockey player.
Cowan, who lives not far from the winery, said he doubts it will be enough to hurt Peller, and that from what he can see, there are still cars in the parking lot. In his opinion, “tourists will still come to town,” he says, and “will still shop at the winery.”
One post he mentioned was from someone who said they wouldn’t buy Gretzky products any more, but would shop at Trius Winery just down the road instead, not realizing it is also owned by Peller.
It also seems highly unlikely, given the cost, that Peller would rebrand and rename the winery, as some have said the company should.
One wine expert suggested to The Local it would cost upwards of $1 million, and would take a considerable amount of time, even if Peller contemplated such as move.
And as Cowan and others in the industry have pointed out, if protests do have an impact on Peller, that means not only a loss to the local economy, but to local jobs as well, and could also impact grape growers who sell to Peller. “These are local people, local wineries and local growers,” he said.
He adds though, that while he’s accustomed to people on social media being angry and “getting bent out of shape over little things, this is a big thing.”
On the other side of the country, news organizations are reporting some Edmonton residents are trying to have Wayne Gretzky Drive renamed, while others are petitioning to have it remain unchanged.
NOTL Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer Kathy Weiss says while there is discussion about tariffs among local business owners, she hasn’t heard from any concerned about the winery and its name affiliation — only what she has read in the media.
“These are crazy times,” she said of the anger people are displaying, and added that she doesn’t think threats of boycotting or protesting will make much of a difference to the winery.
“They are still going to get visitors stopping and buying wine."
The wine industry is important to the town and the local economy, she said, but “let’s keep the fight at the political level, not against each other. Let’s not get us fighting with each other.”
Her plea would be not to get citizens of the two countries angry with each other for something they can’t control.
“Let’s just try to keep peace among us on both sides, and pray for each other.”
As for Cowan, he said he has no issue with people choosing to boycott the winery or expressing their who are disappointment or anger about Gretzky’s friendship with Trump that on Facebook. He just wishes they would do so without turning their anger into personal attacks.